Today we’d like to introduce you to Spike Gillespie
Hi Spike , so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I got to Austin in 1991. Over all the years I have done many, many things. To the point that some people think I am extremely talented. While it’s true I do have talent, honestly the driving force was that I was a single mom/artist and I had to hustle to pay the bills. So I did a little of this and a little of that and then suddenly, here I am in my sixties, and I sort of accidentally managed to create several successful businesses. Currently I divide my work time between being a docent at the O. Henry Museum, presiding over weddings and funerals (I am a non-religious celebrant), and running writing workshops.
I started waiting tables at Magnolia Cafe, working the door at Esther’s Follies and writing for the Austin Chronicle. This was a Dumb Luck Trifecta—I knew only one person when I moved to Austin. These jobs, it turned out, were hubs for meeting cool, wonderful people. I made many many friends working in these places and I remain friends with quite a few of them. It was a great foundation back in my early days.
I’m a serial entrepreneur that stumbled into being an officiant. During lockdown I got a crazy idea to turn my house into a delivery only bakery, which I did, and which was very successful and wonderfully distracting. Oh, and I should mention that I own the Tiny T Ranch, home of the Tiny Chapel of Kindness. I host all kinds of events.
I think, more importantly than any one particular job I do, it’s my gift as a connector that has defined my time in Austin. To clarify, when I say “gift” I am not suggesting that I am more gifted than others. I mean we all have gifts. I was lucky enough to find mine and learn how to use it. If you factor in that I’m an introvert, well it’s a very odd gift. But it has allowed me to improve my life and, much to my joy, help connect people with one another so that they can go on and to things together.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not a smooth road at all. I was an alcoholic for twenty years. I quit when I was 35. Being an addict means there are obstacles every single day, starting with waking up to a hangover. Getting sober helped a lot, but then I had to address all the reasons I had been drinking. A lot of childhood trauma, cPTSD, etc. That required very hard, very expensive work in therapy. This journey is ongoing. I am relieved to say that my battles with anxiety and depression have quieted noticeably as I grow older. I still hit road blocks but when that happens I can now, often, skip the part in the middle where I have a panic attack, and just figure out ways to move forward.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
It’s funny—answering earlier questions I realized I forgot to list WRITER as my primary occupation. I’ve been writing since I was around 8 and I’ve been published since I was 19. My work has appeared in, among other places, New York Times Magazine, New York Times, Real Simple, Elle, GQ, Playboy, Real Simple, Texas Monthly, The Austin Chronicle—the list goes on and on. I’m the published author of many books—maybe ten? I’ve lost count. I try to avoid pride—seeing as it cometh before the fall and all that. But I do feel really good that I managed to “make it” as a writer. Mind you nearly all the time (maybe all of the time) I had to augment my income with other gigs. And that became more true still when the internet came along and the pay for writers dropped down to practically nothing. But regardless, it was my dream since childhood to become a professional writer and I made that dream come true not just by developing my skills and honing my talent, but for being bloody persistent. What sets me apart? The most common feedback I get about my writing is that I am “brutally honest.” It’s true. I don’t hold back. I find that when I am brutally honest it inspires others (sometimes) to be the same way. These days I no longer write for magazines. I did publish a novel last year—which is not my typical genre. Mostly I’m a memoirist. Now I focus on my substack—it’s a good place for me to put my writing and, amazingly, it even pays.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
It’s been a while since this has happened, but I’ve had strangers who knew my work but not me say, upon meeting me, something along the lines of, “Wow, you’re a lot nicer than I expected.” I think some people confuse my brutal honesty with being a bitch. And don’t get me wrong—if you cross my line, you’re going to get to experience a side of me you probably won’t like. But overall, I am a really, really kind person and I think this has confused some people.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Spikegillespie.substack.com
- LinkedIn: https://TinyTRanch.com
- Other: https://spikegillespie.com
Image Credits
Spike Gillespie
